Laurel Resident Makes Her Mark as Towson Freshman

With his team struggling, and several days between games, Towson University women's soccer coach Greg Paynter tried something new.

He held "pre-season practice" during the middle of the season in early October for his Division I program. He decided to give non-starters a chance to earn playing time.

It was just the opportunity that North Laurel resident Katlyn Axenfeld needed. A freshman from Reservoir High School in Howard County, Axenfeld has seen little playing time in the first few weeks of her college career.

“He wanted to give us a week of practice to start over and prove ourselves. He wanted to give us a new chance to show what we had,” she said.

After the mid-season evaluation Axenfeld began to see more playing time for a team that lost five straight games through October 2.

“When I first came in I didn’t really play at all. I came in injured and it was kind of hard,” said Axenfeld, who hurt her ankle last summer. “The reason I am playing more is because of the adjustment (to college). It was the normal college thing. You are playing against people that have been here for four years. It is hard not to think about that.”

Towson coach Paynter said Friday of Axenfeld: "She has been very consistent in what she has done. We hit a slump (as a team) and were 0-4 in the conference. We looked around and challenged the team. We decided we would start over. We challenged all of the players to step it up and she was one of the players that did. She really made a push that week. She has been solid in the central midfield."

The freshman midfielder scored the game-winning goal in overtime in a 1-0 win at UNC-Wilmington on Oct. 16 as Towson kept its playoff hopes alive in the Colonial Athletic Association.

“It felt great because it was overtime,” she said. “I know what it is like to keep going (as a high school senior). It felt great for our seniors.” She had a goal on Oct. 7 against Hofstra.

Axenfeld played in the first 18 games, with seven starts, for a team that was 9-9 overall and 4-6 in the CAA through Oct. 27. She had started six games in a row going into an Oct. 29 contest at George Mason.

Axenfeld began playing club soccer at an early age with Laurel Premier. Among her club teammates was Helen Feeser, a graduate of Pallotti Prep who is now one of the top scorers for the women’s team at Division III Bridgewater (VA) College. Another player at regionally-ranked Bridgewater is Laurel resident Brittney Harris, who played at Eleanor Roosevelt High in Greenbelt.

Another club teammate with Axenfeld was Caylin Dudley, who is from Kent Island High School and is now a freshman forward at CAA school Hofstra in New York.

Axenfeld is the daughter of Maureen and Kevin Axenfeld of North Laurel. Her father graduated from Towson. She was a four-year starter at Reservoir and scored six goals and had four assists as a senior. Axenfeld had the only goal as the Gators won the state title, 1-0, in 2010 against Huntingtown. She also played lacrosse at Reservoir.

In other women's soccer news, No. 16 Maryland upset No. 8 North Carolina 2-1 in overtime in College Park on Thursday night. Pallotti Prep grad Annesia Faulkner, a senior, started at forward for the Terps on Senior Night to help Maryland. It was her first start of the season and her ninth appearance for the 10-4-4 squad.